Spring has come, and summer is around the corner. Beach trips, backyard barbecues, and pool parties are beginning to heat up. But if you feel self-conscious about your wrinkles and fine lines, or you have dullness and discoloration due to sun damage, it may be time to consider cosmetic treatments to enhance your appearance and extend your summer fun.
When aesthetic solutions are necessary, but you aren’t ready or willing to get surgery, Harvard-trained plastic surgeon Dr. Jason Cooper and his team offer non-surgical enhancements to deliver quick results with minimal downtime.
Non-Surgical Treatments for a Fresh Summer Look
In South Florida, complaints like hyperpigmentation and premature aging are an all-too-common tale. Heat, humidity, and other factors can dry out your skin and accelerate signs of aging like sagging and dark spots.
Likewise, hotter weather means lightweight cosmetics for women who want to stay cool and look their best. Unfortunately, patients with discoloration and an uneven skin tone may find these options leave their areas of concern exposed.
To help address these concerns, Dr. Cooper suggests his top five non-surgical treatments.
1. Botox for Smoothing Wrinkles and Fine Lines
Over-the-counter anti-aging products are a million-dollar industry. You can walk into any drugstore and find plenty of products claiming to be the Fountain of Youth in a jar. The question, of course, is whether they work, or whether you’re better off saving your money.
While some over-the-counter products do a decent job of minimizing minor signs of aging, they’re no substitute for powerhouse treatments like Botox. With time, years spent smiling, laughing, and frowning combine with sun exposure and environmental stressors to take a toll. As a result, deep lines and wrinkles may form on your forehead and around your eyes, making you look tired or creating a permanent frown. Botox is one of the best ways to drastically reduce the appearance of these lines.
Botox is an injectable neuromodulator that works by blocking specific muscles from contracting. With the nerve signal to these muscles interrupted, lines and wrinkles will gently fade away. Dr. Cooper offers Botox for:
- Forehead furrows
- Vertical “11 lines”
- Upper lip lines
- Crow’s feet
The Botox Procedure
Botox is a quick, safe in-office appointment. For optimal results, it’s crucial to choose a skilled Botox injector. The procedure requires precise placement with accurate Botox amounts to achieve natural-looking, not frozen, results.
Botox benefits take a few days to begin manifesting. As the muscles relax and smooth, you’ll see your full results within two weeks after treatment.
Since Botox typically starts wearing off within three to four months, follow-up sessions are necessary to maintain optimal outcomes.
2. Dermal Fillers for Restoring Volume and Youthful Contours
Age brings wisdom. But, unfortunately, unwanted facial flaws like undereye hollows, lines, and nasolabial folds often tag along. In addition to Botox, many patients opt for dermal fillers to address wrinkles and volume loss, particularly in the temples, cheeks, and around the mouth. These FDA-approved products take immediate effect, helping you look summer-ready with zero incisions, sutures, or downtime.
How Dermal Fillers Work
Facial fat volume is critical for a youthful appearance. Sadly, the natural layer beneath your skin will descend with age, possibly leaving you with contour loss, sagging, and prominent wrinkles.
Most of today’s dermal fillers consist of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance in your body. Injecting this gel-like substance into your facial contours smooths wrinkles, restores volume, and enhances your features. The results are so impressive and natural-looking that over 1 million patients seek fillers yearly.
Natural Ingredients
When Dr. Cooper administers dermal filler injections, his patients are confident in a safe and effective outcome. That’s because the products he uses are biocompatible. For example, because your body produces hyaluronic acid on its own, you shouldn’t experience any severe side effects.
Long-Lasting Results
Unlike anti-aging creams, fillers don’t require daily upkeep to experience the results. Instead, you’ll leave our office with a smooth, dewy, and hydrated complexion. In addition, dermal fillers are one of the best additions to your beauty routine because their benefits are long-lasting. Depending on the product you choose and your metabolism, you may enjoy the results for up to 18 months.
3. Laser Skin Resurfacing to Improve Texture and Tone
Laser skin resurfacing is an excellent option to address the multiple signs of aging – unwanted pigmentation, lax skin, fine lines, wrinkles, and more. Dr. Cooper offers Lumenis UltraPulse Encore CO2 laser to help his patients achieve youthful, luminous skin.
What Is the Lumenis UltraPulse Encore CO2 Laser?
This CO2 fractional laser resurfaces skin to address issues like dark spots or poor elasticity. Here, the word “fractional” means that this laser treats tiny portions of your skin to stimulate your body’s natural wound-healing response. The process leaves healthy skin tissue untouched and protected from damage, with fewer side effects and a shorter recovery. Finally, unlike other laser treatment options, Lumenis UltraPulse Encore CO2 laser requires only one session to achieve the intended outcome.
What Can I Treat With Laser Skin Resurfacing?
Lumenis UltraPulse can treat a wide array of skin concerns. Because the treatment stimulates collagen production, you’ll enjoy firmer skin with reduced sagging. You’ll also notice fewer textural issues, including fine lines, wrinkles, and acne scarring. Finally, laser skin resurfacing can resolve unwanted pigmentation like sunspots and melasma.
How Long Does Laser Skin Resurfacing Take?
During your consultation, Dr. Cooper will explain everything you can expect. In general, the laser skin resurfacing treatment typically takes 30 minutes to complete. If you are worried about discomfort, ask for local anesthesia or a sedative to help you relax. You can return home immediately after the procedure and won’t require additional sessions to achieve your desired results.
What Is Recovery Like After a Laser Skin Resurfacing Treatment?
Dr. Cooper’s laser skin resurfacing typically requires approximately two days of downtime, with complete healing after five days. You will likely notice slight redness, minimal swelling, and tenderness or sensitivity through this healing period. You may also experience peeling or slight crusting at the treatment site. If necessary, you can take over-the-counter pain medications to address any discomfort during this time. You will notice firmer, taut skin with a more even tone and texture when your healing is complete. Your skin will continue to improve for about six months as your body produces new collagen.
4. Intense Pulsed Light to Eliminate Sun Damage and Uneven Pigmentation
There’s a reason Florida’s nickname is the Sunshine State – we enjoy gorgeous year-round weather that’s perfect for beach days, boating trips, and nearly endless opportunities for outdoor entertaining. Unfortunately, maintaining a healthy complexion in South Florida’s climate is challenging, as UV damage is an inevitable side effect of all that fun in the sun. IPL laser treatment can combat redness and lighten dark spots. In addition, it can help minimize acne scars, hyperpigmentation, and rosacea.
What Is Sun Damage?
Sun damage, or photoaging, happens when UV light hits unprotected skin, causing darkened melanin and cellular damage. Different signs of sun damage include:
- Freckles
- Fine lines or skin laxity
- Blotchy spots or uneven pigmentation
- Moles
- Age spots
- Gray or brown patches
- Spider veins
How Does IPL Laser Sun Damage Treatment Work?
Sun damage is cumulative, which means the sunburns you got in your teens and early 20s may come home to roost a decade or so later. Discoloration like freckles and dark patches are typical concerns people experience due to excess sun exposure. Dr. Cooper offers intense pulsed light treatments to penetrate below the skin’s surface to reach the dark melanin spots.
Each powerful light flash breaks down the melanin into tiny particles, which your body will naturally release and absorb. The IPL process promotes healthy skin, leaving your skin feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
Enjoying Your Healthy Skin and IPL Recovery
Research has shown that IPL photofacial sessions effectively treat numerous skin issues. An IPL photofacial employs several light energy wavelengths, similar to a camera’s flash, resulting in an effective facial rejuvenation treatment. The IPL’s laser technology can target sunspots to start healing.
In due time, dark spots and uneven pigmentation will begin to fade, revealing a smoother, more even skin tone. IPL laser treatment is convenient, taking 20 to 30 minutes for your entire face and longer to target other areas, like the neck, shoulders, and decolletage.
How Many IPL Laser Treatments Will I Need?
First, it’s best to determine whether you are the right candidate for IPL photofacial treatments. To do so, Dr. Cooper will sit down with you for a candid conversation about your cosmetic issues and desired goals. Then, we will examine your skin, listen to your concerns, and determine an appropriate treatment plan. The number of IPL sessions needed will vary by patient. On average, most people require three to six sessions every four to six weeks. Over the following four to eight weeks, your sunspots and other concerns will start to fade.
5. Microneedling to Stimulate Collagen and Improve Skin Texture
Microneedling, also known as collagen induction therapy, is a minimally invasive cosmetic procedure that involves using tiny needles to create controlled micro-injuries in the skin’s surface. This process triggers the body’s natural healing response, producing new collagen and elastin. The result is healthier, smoother, and younger-looking skin.
Critical Benefits of Microneedling
- Improved skin texture and tone: Microneedling promotes collagen production, which can fill in fine lines, wrinkles, and acne scars while making your skin plumper and more resilient. The procedure also reduces pigmentation and uneven skin tone.
- Versatile: Microneedling can treat many skin concerns, including acne, pigmentation, fine lines, wrinkles, scarring, and large pores.
- Safe and effective: Microneedling has a long track record of safety when performed by a qualified professional. It is a minimally invasive procedure with little to no pain or downtime.
- Pairs well with other solutions: You can combine microneedling with the other non-surgical remedies listed here to achieve even better results.
While microneedling can reduce fine lines, acne scars, and pigmentation by triggering your skin’s natural healing response, it’s not suitable for everyone. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to consult with Dr. Cooper, who can advise you on the best option for your needs and unique skin type.
Why Choose Dr. Cooper?
Harvard-trained and board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Cooper is a Florida native who cares about helping his patients look and feel their absolute best. He offers surgical and non-surgical treatments in Jupiter and West Palm Beach to help people achieve their aesthetic goals. If you’re ready to discuss your non-surgical treatments for facial rejuvenation before summer, schedule a consultation online, or call us at (561) 406-6574.